Presidential Ponderings – March 2022

I was stranded in the airport in Sarasota, FL. My flight back to Pennsylvania was delayed by extensive mechanical problems, which ultimately meant that I had to spend an additional six hours in that small but crowded regional airport. Ordinarily that would not have bothered me much, but this was March of 2020 and we were just beginning to hear about a new viral epidemic. Not much was publicly known about “covid-19” at that time, but the warning signs were ominous. The airport TV’s announced a speech from the Oval Office scheduled for the following evening. I did not have a mask with me (as this was yet to become part of our national wardrobe), but I did use copious amounts of hand sanitizer on the flight home. And so the pandemic began.

We have mutually experienced a global nightmare these last two years…a nightmare that is still not finished as the pandemic enters its third year. Along the way, we have collectively endured the lockdowns, the gallons of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, the masks (both cloth, surgical and now N95’s), the cancellation of most social activities and public gatherings, the restrictions on travel, the indignities of nasal swab covid-19 tests, the culture wars over vaccinations, and the seemingly never-ending surges of variants like delta and omicron. Though Londonderry Village has weathered the pandemic fairly well, there have been casualties. Three nursing residents and one staff member have succumbed to covid-19, and over one hundred employees have contracted the disease, but recovered and returned to duty. We should also not forget the significant number of employees who left Londonderry Village during the pandemic, some of whom chose to leave health care altogether, and some who chose to leave rather than submit to vaccination.

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, there is cause for optimism. Vaccinations have dramatically reduced the hospitalization and death rates for those who became infected but were already vaccinated. Nearly 75% of the American population now has some immunity to covid-19, whether through vaccinations or natural immunity from having the disease. Lastly, effective treatments are becoming available to manage the symptoms of those who become infected, and lower the hospitalization and death rates. Covid-19 is becoming a “manageable” disease…sort of like the seasonal flu. It is not likely to go away, but for most of us it will not be a serious health concern going forward. As the leader of a retirement community that has endured 2+ years of deprivation, isolation, fear, and economic hardship, I sure hope we can all to wave goodbye to this pandemic in 2022.

Thanks for Listening,

Jeff Shireman, President